Phone rang. Girlfriend cried on the other end. She was sick and lonely. She was stranded in the biggest snow storm in 50 years and can't get home. Sob. Tears. More sob.

Deng hung up, put on a pair of long underpants, grabbed an extra jacket, threw few things into a tote bag, borrowed about $80, and ran out. In between them, thousands of cars parked on the highways. Millions of people waited in train stations, bus depots, or airport terminals. In 24 hours, he reached the point all mechanized transportation halted.

Girl was still 250 miles away. The ambien temperature hovered below freezing.

Off he walked! For more than 18 hours he walked on the icy and deserted highway through freezing rains and blizzards. He walked, Forrest Gump style, by himself. His trousers were wet and covered in ice. He ran out of foods. A stranger gave him $15 and some foods. He used the money to buy some talking time for his cell phone. Soon, the money ran out and, again, he entered radio silience involuntarily.

After about 65 miles, the stranger found him and told him that the girl was OK and arrived home. Deng collapsed almost immediately. He recovered in a couple of weeks and became the hero of China's storm of 2008. Women all over the country thought he was the most romantic one of the year.

The girlfriend dumped him a couple of months after.